Nokia buys analytics firm to compete with Apple's App Store

As software development for Nokia's Ovi platform struggles to compete with Apple's iOS and App Store, the Finnish phone maker has purchased analytics firm Motally to boost its offering.

Nokia announced the deal to purchase the U.S. company on Friday. A report from the Associated Press noted that the strategic acquisition intends to boost the Ovi platform and make it more enticing by offering more to mobile software developers.

"The Finnish company says the acquisition Friday underscores its attempt to improve mobile Web browsing analytics for software developers of its Internet services, that are struggling to match competitor Apple Inc.," the report said.

Terms of the deal, including price, were not revealed. But Motally is a relatively small company with just eight employees, founded recently in 2008.

In May, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasuvuo admitted that his company has failed to make a splash in the U.S. smartphone market, while Apple has taken the industry by storm with the iPhone and its digital storefront for third-party applications, the App Store. Nokia, however, still remains the dominant force in the global market, carrying the lion's share of smartphones ales, as well as traditional cell phones.

Apple's strategy of offering services and support -- in addition to handsets -- has caused a change in shift within the smartphone industry. This week it was reported that competitor Research in Motion has been in talks with a number of ad networks for a potential acquisition. Apple kickstarted its own iAd network, projected to take up more than half of the mobile ad market this year, through the purchase of Quattro Wireless.

Much like Nokia's purchase of Motally aims to provide support for developers, the goal of Apple's iAd service is to incentivize App Store development. The Cupertino, Calif., company has said it does not expect to turn a great profit from its new advertising business, in which it takes a 40 percent cut of revenue.

While Apple bought an advertising firm to kickstart its iAd service, it has not invested in a mobile analytics firm as Nokia did this week. Instead, Apple has had contentious relationships with such companies, publicly calling one out earlier this year for obtaining device information without informing or gaining the consent of users.

Yawn. All these companies should hire their own R&D departments instead of always reacting to and copying everything Apple does. It is getting really old and their share holders must be sick of the reactive management styles.

Imagine where the industry would be if Apple had simply copied the market leaders way back when!

From Apple ][ - to new Mac Pro I've owned them all.Long on AAPL so biased"Google doesn't sell you anything, Google just sells you!"

First of all, when I first saw the word "Motally", I read it as "Mortally".

I figure they'll use this company to try to keep Symbian/Ovi/Meego/whatchamacallit afloat against the iOS-Android current, by letting Motally create their own form of iAd. Remember that Symbian is huge outside the US; Nokia wants to keep it that way. I suppose that there's room in the world for two or three iAd-type companies competing against each other.

Yawn. All these companies should hire their own R&D departments instead of always reacting to and copying everything Apple does. It is getting really old and their share holders must be sick of the reactive management styles.

Imagine where the industry would be if Apple had simply copied the market leaders way back when!

They don't do it for the same reason Microsoft doesn't do it... it's hard work!

Motally is not a mobile app developer. They only do analysis, more like snitching on app usage.

What does Nokia need this company for? It's too late. Apple already locked snitchers out from getting any information from iOS.

Nokia is dead in the waters. Apple will bury it in a few years.

As an employee of an analytics company with SDKs for Blackberry, iOS, and Android I have to respond here. They didn't block analytics. They just blocked what you can track. They basically blocked anything that would give away an Apple prototype unit. Their move had nothing to do with consumer privacy and everything to do with Steve being mad that mobile analytics tipped off the iPhone 4.

Yawn. All these companies should hire their own R&D departments instead of always reacting to and copying everything Apple does. It is getting really old and their share holders must be sick of the reactive management styles.

Imagine where the industry would be if Apple had simply copied the market leaders way back when!

Apple would produce US made rubber boots. That's what Nokia used to be really good at.

I just love how for years everyone poked fun at Apple, but now everyone is scratching their heads to figure out how to even compete....

It's called strategy folks, Apple spent a LONG time building the infrastructure that supports it's solutions. And that is the major difference with Apple and everyone else. Everyone else sells products, where Apple provides a SOLUTION.

Im constantly amazed by how much changed has occurred because of Apples entrance into this market. Whether Apple can maintain their lead is another story, but I think we can all agree that anyone who uses or will use a smartphone in the future can thank Apple for shaking up and forcing this once stagnant market to evolve or die.

* I dont mean marketshare as its improbable to be the highest when you dont license your OS and only build higher-end devices.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Snitch

I was thinking 'one foot in quicksand, the other on a banana peel', but OK.

Not to be pedantic, but wouldnt the foot in the quicksand help you from slipping upon the banana peel and the one foot not in quicksand help you remove the other foot?

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

As an employee of an analytics company with SDKs for Blackberry, iOS, and Android I have to respond here. They didn't block analytics. They just blocked what you can track. They basically blocked anything that would give away an Apple prototype unit. Their move had nothing to do with consumer privacy and everything to do with Steve being mad that mobile analytics tipped off the iPhone 4.

Tracking has 'nothing to do with consumer privacy'!?

It must be nice to create and live in your own reality..... wait, let's see, you work for a firm that....

Tim Cook is gay, believes in climate change, and cares deeply about racial equality. Deal with it (and please spare us if you can't).

The motivation of this purchase -- to compete with Apple -- is nowhere to be found in Nokia's statement. I believe you're reading too much in a small purchase (8 people company) that is likely peanuts for Nokia. Here is a link to the original press release:

Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people's money. —Margaret Thatcher, 1976

That would make George W Bush's admin a socalist one wouldn't it? and clintons's not

First, President's don't create appropriations (spend money), Congress does. President's just sign the spending into law or Veto it and can have that veto no vote overridden by Congress.

Who was in control of Congress in 2006? Democrats had the Majority then, including Senator Barrack Obama, and in 2008 a Super Majority where Bush or Republicans could do nothing to stop them from spending others peoples money until America is broke.

When did America start running out of Money? 2006 would be my guess...

Ergo, Democrats are the Socialists here as defined by Margaret Thatcher.

Who controlled Congress when Clinton was in office. Republicans, but more importantly, Conservatives! Which is what will hopefully happen in November... not Republican controll of Congress but Conservatives control Congress. Don't need RINO's!

Care to revise and/or extend your remarks!

Ten years ago, we had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash. Today we have no Jobs, no Hope and no Cash.

Who was in control of Congress in 2006? Democrats had the Majority then, including Senator Barrack Obama, and in 2008 a Super Majority where Bush or Republicans could do nothing to stop them from spending others peoples money until America is broke.

Really, my questions are out of curiosity, since I hear this mentioned a lot.

What specifically did the Democrats do in 2006 and 2007 - i.e., what legislation, with what financial consequences - to make America broke?

And, did the President veto, or even threaten to veto, anything?

Finally, how did the D's two years of control compare with the prior 6 years of GWB?

Add: In terms of my personal political views, it falls somewhere between a pox-on-both-houses and its-all-pointless-to-try-and-counter.

Tim Cook is gay, believes in climate change, and cares deeply about racial equality. Deal with it (and please spare us if you can't).

The motivation of this purchase -- to compete with Apple -- is nowhere to be found in Nokia's statement. I believe you're reading too much in a small purchase (8 people company) that is likely peanuts for Nokia. Here is a link to the original press release:

[QUOTE=AppleInsider;1699335]As software development for Nokia's Ovi platform struggles to compete with Apple's iOS and App Store, the Finnish phone maker has purchased analytics firm Motally to boost its offering.

Sorry fellas....this won't do it. I'm a Nokia owner...It WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN...

Nokia wonders why they are having a hard time gaining market share in the US...It's because their offerings ARE JUNK.. The Ovi store is a joke.. They have almost NOTHING that is applicable to users in the US, and buying a firm that allows developers to put their apps on the platform is a LOSING strategy for the US...

Oh, and it also has to do with the way that Nokia USA treats it's customers... I have a 5230 that was bought from a web retailer IN THE US just before they launched with T-Mobile earlier this year. I downloaded a simple Accu-Weather free app. from the Ovi store for the phone - A WEATHER APP!!! It hung in the install and now the phone will NOT delete the app or it's associated files with a "File Corrupt" error.. Calling to Nokia USA tech support yields nothing, not even a recording, but an email to the tech support folks yields "GO AWAY"..Do Not Contact us again because your phone was NOT purchased in the US and therefore we WILL NOT HELP YOU..."" This is a LIE.

OK..I won't help you either fools...I'm done with you and will bad mouth you every where I can...Thanks..

First, President's don't create appropriations (spend money), Congress does. President's just sign the spending into law or Veto it and can have that veto no vote overridden by Congress.

Who was in control of Congress in 2006? Democrats had the Majority then, including Senator Barrack Obama, and in 2008 a Super Majority where Bush or Republicans could do nothing to stop them from spending others peoples money until America is broke.

When did America start running out of Money? 2006 would be my guess...

That would after 4 years and how many billion flushed down the toilet in Iraq? And how many billion more since? You are up to $900 billion as of last month, but that wouldn't have anything to do with America being "broke", would it? Nor the public having to bail private banking institutions out of the crap they landed everyone in, right?

Oh, and it also has to do with the way that Nokia USA treats it's customers... I have a 5230 that was bought from a web retailer IN THE US just before they launched with T-Mobile earlier this year. I downloaded a simple Accu-Weather free app. from the Ovi store for the phone - A WEATHER APP!!! It hung in the install and now the phone will NOT delete the app or it's associated files with a "File Corrupt" error.. Calling to Nokia USA tech support yields nothing, not even a recording, but an email to the tech support folks yields "GO AWAY"..Do Not Contact us again because your phone was NOT purchased in the US and therefore we WILL NOT HELP YOU..."" This is a LIE.

Just because the company you brought it from was US based, doesn't mean the item you purchased was imported by Nokia. Grey Imports happen everywhere, and in some countries it is legal. Go back to the company you purchased it from and complain to them.

...The Ovi store is a joke.. They have almost NOTHING that is applicable to users in the US, and buying a firm that allows developers to put their apps on the platform is a LOSING strategy for the US...

Hmm. Funny. Pretty much what I hear people in Europe bitching (if they bitch about apps) about in regards to the App Store. They are annoyed with the fact that many of the really nice apps are US centric and far smaller amount of apps are international in scope.

But just a question: Joikuspot, shazam, Maps, I Parked Here, Foreca Weather, Gravity etc.etc are not applicable to the US? Or is your gripe that many of the apps are not US centric, rather than international?

Nobody is saying App Store is bad or doesn't have apps or that the competition has anywhere close to the AS's volume, but saying the there is NOTHING in the competitor's portfolio is fooling yourself.

As an employee of an analytics company with SDKs for Blackberry, iOS, and Android I have to respond here. They didn't block analytics. They just blocked what you can track. They basically blocked anything that would give away an Apple prototype unit. Their move had nothing to do with consumer privacy and everything to do with Steve being mad that mobile analytics tipped off the iPhone 4.

Collecting data is fine for any company that is analytics ONLY.

That was fine for Motally. But now they are owned by Nokia (who competes with Apple) a company who's primary business is NOT marketing/analytics.

This means that the "analytics clause" in the SDK will now come into effect and prevent Motally from collecting analytics data, as they used to be able to.

If your company is not owned by anyone else, or is owned by a purely marketing company, then you will never be affected by the analytics clause.

Every company out there seems to be trying to lure developers away form apple or at least convince them to port their iSO apps over to their platform.

The standard argument why not since they can make more due to larger base of products. However, most of the smart developers realize real fast it not worth it since they are only making money because they are small and it extremely easily to support the iSO user base and apple provide a whole set of tools to make it easy for them.

Plus, what other company holds a developer conference like apple does and you get to meet Steve and hear, "oh one more thing" knowing full well the one more thing usually an opportunity to make more money.

MS has not been successful at paying developers to defect and android is showing its growing pains since a small % of user are willing pay for an app and people are not too keen of Google knowing everywhere they go and what they do with their phone, what makes Nokia think that developer will rush to their platform just because they have ad $.

No of these company have yet to realize why apple is successful, that are like oh apple did this we need to do that that is the secret of their success. Idiots that is all I can say